Milky Way

by Mamta Nainy, Siddhartha Tripathi (Illustrator)

Overview

Tashi is worried about his friend, the Moon. He seems thinner than usual. Maybe the Moon's Amma-ley isn't giving him enough to eat? Tashi decides to help his friend. And what does the Moon have to say? Well, he just smiles his special smile--eyes closed and no teeth showing.

Set in the remote mountains of Ladakh in India, Milky Way is a sweet tale of friendship between a boy and the moon. The story highlights the importance of the moon in Tibetan Buddhism and showcases elements of Himalayan cultures, including their delectable cuisine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780989061568
Publisher:	Yali Publishing LLC
Publication date:	10/01/2017
Pages:	44
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Lexile:	AD690L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Mamta Nainy spent some years in advertising before a rotten apple fell on her head while she was sitting under a mango tree. Now all she does is write for children, eat cupcakes, play with a yo-yo and write some more.

Siddhartha Tripathi, an alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow, completed his graduation in Animation Film Design from India's premier design institute, the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Over the years, he has worked as a storyteller, illustrator and animator with a wide range of clients including Virgin Comics, Katha publications, Amar Chitra katha, agencies such as Co-Design, Grey Worldwide and others such as Fox Traveller India, Smirnoff, Time-out, NID Publications, just to name a few. An avid traveler, he spends time working on his projects from Lucknow, Dharamshala and Ahmedabad. Currently working on a couple of animation short-films, illustrated books, exhibitions, he loves to teach and takes out time to work on his paintings and illustrations. His work can be found at trip-arty.blogspot.com.

Editorial Reviews

"... so much richer because the story is set in such a unique location." -The Loud Library Lady, PK-12 School Librarian

"... would work well in a classroom science unit as an example of bridging science and culture."-Read It Real Good

"... speaks to the universal curiosity and wonder shared by all children about the world around them."-Books For Diversity

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Charming, stylized illustrations bring saturated color to a story of the waxing and waning moon, set in a northern region of India bordering Tibet. A smiley boy named Tashi befriends the moon and, in a narrative arc reminiscent of Eric Carle's Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, grows distressed as the moon slowly disappears. This debut offering uses text and pictures to introduce details of life in the region of Ladakh, from local foods to prayer flags flying outside the windows. But the book's resolution hinges on a different Tibetan Buddhist custom, as Tashi's Momo-ley (grandmother) teaches him about fasting on New Moon Night, save for a nourishing glass of yak milk; Tashi, taking the tradition to heart, determines to feed his shrinking friend and greets the moon joyously when it returns to full. The cartoonlike illustrations—strong dark lines with a limited range of facial expressions—match Tashi's buoyant personality and maintain the story's lightness. Though the book displays the occasional misplaced detail (why, for example, does Momo-ley cover her milk with her clothing?), the text flows loosely between narrative and cultural exposition. VERDICT Engaging illustrations pair with a story simultaneously universal and specific to a region not often represented in children's books.—Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY

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